Did You Know Absinthe Is ...

• Not poisonous, and never was?• Not hallucinogenic, and never was?• Legal in the USA since the 1960s?• Not just a novelty? There are fine absinthes, just like fine wine, whisky, and cognac. Read more here:

Absinthe Evaluation Tutorial

Do you know how to tell a great absinthe from a so-so absinthe? What does one look for, or demand, in a glass of absinthe? Just as with fine wine, fine absinthe has a whole language and system for evaluation and tasting.

Colour too pale, louche alright, a bit of badiane presence too prominent. Aroma is nice, but overbalanced, there is nothing that would catch attention as coming forward. Flavour was discrete, abundance of herbs made it flat. Same about the finish, slightly spice and that is all.

The best Eich I have had to date is Eich brut 83.2%, the 78% version is not actually needed in the full range.

Uncorked Aroma: Very sweet aroma; not bad sweet, but quite delectable. Very forward anise, with almost a supporting push by something minty. Of all the absinthe I've had to date, this smells almost exactly like opening a fresh, moist package of licorice. The alcohol is incapable of hiding itself on the aroma, but seems strangely transformed by the intense herbal scent.

Color in Glass: Very pale green, almost yellow, but clear as crystal except for what look like tiny clear bubbles perfectly suspended. Also, when poured, the lovely smell upon uncorking is totally overpowered by alcohol. It smells like some sort of antiseptic.

Louche: wonderfully anticipatory louche. Very slow to start, but when it does it looks as if thick pillars of oily cigar smoke are struggling to breath. Those peculiar bubbles are still just floating around, tossed and turned by the rising opalescent tendrils. The aroma opens up nicely, dispelling the antiseptic tinge and balancing to a cold, crisp, silky anise with a hint of fresh cut fennel. A perfectly sensuous aroma. The louche finishes thick and creamy-looking. Subtly jade, but mostly white. Very pretty indeed.

Taste: Not what I expected, but in no way a bad thing. The flavors are all very subtle, yet provide a delicate, delicious sweetness. I will try another glass with sugar, but this is not a bitter absinthe. It is naturally sweet and minty. I louched it at around 3:1, perhaps a bit more, and it is so delicate you would never know it had such a high %ABV. In a way its almost strikingly balanced. It tastes almost like a blanche, but you can definitely tell it isn't.

Finish: Very creamy mouth feel. Wonderfully smooth and refreshing. Leaves a wonderfully sweet kiss along the sides of the tongue and strokes the tip with a scarcely noticeable numbness. Each sip immediately calls out for another. And once it is gone, you are left with the same innuendo of flavors as when you slosh it around.

Overall: I think a lower ration of perhaps 2.5:1 would allow more of the flavor to come out. With too much water the taste is still sweet and refreshing, but there is no real complexity. Still, I find that I'm very drawn to this absinthe's flavor. As the glass winds down I'm getting more and more concrete flavors that weren't quite present on the first, second, or third mouthful. Instantly a favorite, I am excited to try the other four or five Eichelbergers I've encountered online. This is a very good, subtle, complex in its simplicity absinthe. I was expecting something ferocious and in your face due to the 78% ABV, but that simply lies about how delicate this absinthe is. I am looking forward to exploring it with different water ratios and, to my chagrin, sugar. I only wish it came in something larger than 0.5L.